Mr. William Hartnett

William Joseph "Mr. Bill" Hartnett, peacefully passed away at his home on Saturday, February 17, 2018, at the age of 88. Bill was born on June 14, 1929, in Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, the son of Irish immigrants Patrick and Hanora Bunyan Hartnett. William attended Westinghouse Memorial High School and was its 1946 class president as well as the drum major of the WMHS Marching Band. Upon his graduation, he worked for four years at the Westinghouse Electric facility in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a machinist apprentice. He then enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1950, serving in Japan from 1952 through 1954 as a hydraulic mechanic instructor specializing on the C-124. He reached the rank of staff sergeant. After completing his military service, Bill returned to Pittsburgh and worked at Westinghouse Electric in their Nuclear Fuel Division. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1964 with a degree in Industrial Engineering. During his career, he held numerous management positions in purchasing and customer service and traveled extensively throughout the United States, Sweden, Belgium, and Italy. Bill, his wife Eileen, and their children moved from Pittsburgh to Columbia, South Carolina, in 1969, to open Westinghouse's newest nuclear fuel division plant. He retired from Westinghouse in 1989 after 43 years. Bill will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Eileen, of 63 years, and by his children, Marie Hartnett Paris and her husband Richard of Roswell, Georgia; Patricia Hartnett Menzer and her husband Dr. Rick of Boiling Springs, South Carolina; John William of Boiling Springs, South Carolina; William Joseph, Jr. of Columbia, South Carolina; and JoAnne Hartnett Painter and her husband John of Wyckoff, New Jersey. He also leaves behind his much loved five grandchildren, Ashley Redding Hartnett of McKinney, Texas; Christopher Ewin (Nicole) Paris of Decatur, Georgia; Katherine Bogert Menzer of Spartanburg, South Carolina; Colleen Marie Painter of New York City, New York; and Jack William Painter of Wyckoff, New Jersey; his sisters-in-law, Donna Spitzer of Winter Springs, Florida, and Delores Gaffney of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, one great-great-nephew and one great-great-niece. Bill was the youngest of eight children in his family which included Lawrence (Mary), John (Mary), James (Irene), Nora (Tom) Harper, Helen (Bill) Lenhart, Patrick (Elizabeth), and Dr. Catherine Hartnett, all deceased. He was a former member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Columbia, South Carolina, where upon his retirement from Westinghouse, he served as president of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society and delivered food to families in the Columbia area in conjunction with the Harvest Hope Food Bank. He volunteered with Mobile Meals in Spartanburg, and was a lifelong member of the Irish Catholic fraternal organization, the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Bill was a loyal fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates and was at Forbes Field for two historical moments, Jackie Robinson's first game played there and Bill Mazeroski's game winning walk off home run in the seventh game of the 1960 World Series. He loved music, completed the daily crossword and jumble puzzles in pen, enjoyed working in his yard and in St. Paul's Marian garden, and was an avid birdwatcher. He made many friends by writing their birthdays in a small notebook and remembering them in his prayers, and was famous for giving $2.00 bills with the advice, "You keep this two dollar bill and you'll never be broke!" Until his death, he was a member of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 PM Friday, February 23, 2018, at Floyds North Church Street Chapel, 235 N. Church St., Spartanburg, SC 29306. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in memory of Bill at 11:00 AM Saturday, February 24, 2018, at Historic St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 161 N. Dean St., Spartanburg, SC 29302, with The Rev. David R. Whitman, The Rev. Michael F. Kuhn, and The Rev. Mr. Robert L. Mahaffey officiating. Inurnment, with military rites, will be in the church columbarium. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made in honor of Bill to: Edmundite Missions in Selma, Alabama, 1428 Broad Street Selma, AL 36701; the Dominican Sisters of Peace, 2320 Airport Drive, Columbus, OH 43219; or the St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church Building Fund, 161 North Dean Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302. Floyd's North Church Street Chapel